


Responsibility

by ServantOfMischief



Series: Tumblr requests [3]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Friends-With-Benefits to Lovers, Happy, Itori being a godmother, Itori doing her best to raise a baby, Itori missing her friend, Sad, Uta helping her out, gets less sad, kind of happy, request from tumblr, this was fun, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 18:45:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16561253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ServantOfMischief/pseuds/ServantOfMischief
Summary: Itori loved her friend, she really did, but Maiko should never have given her so much trust.





	Responsibility

**Author's Note:**

> A request from tumblr, where the lovely anon asked for Itori as a godmother to her best friend's child.

“Itori-chan! Please!”

 

“It’s a terrible idea!” Itori laughs at her friend. “I’m not suited to something like that, ask someone else!” She adds as she tosses a human male a flirty smile and a wink. He looks tasty, and she is feeling a bit peckish.

 

“You’re my closest friend, you’re the only one I trust with this.”

 

“You have terrible taste in friends.” The redhead laughs louder, but is no longer arguing against the idea and her friend has noticed.

 

“Please! Look at it like insurance. I am planning on doing everything myself, but if something should happen, I want to know you’ll be there. It’s just in case.” Itori sighs at her friend’s insistent pleas, but finally agrees.

 

“Fine, I’ll be your kid’s godmother. Just so you know, Maiko-chan, I think teen pregnancies are stupid! How are you going to be able to afford everything?” Her friend just smiles at her, grey eyes glimmering in the light as she lays a hand on her big belly.

 

“I’ll figure something out.” Itori huffs but doesn’t argue. This is just as insurance, after all. She can help Maiko out now and then with food, and other things, she guesses, but at the very least she is not going to raise the baby.  

 

Three months later, Uta and Renji help her bury her friend as she holds a wailing, bloody new born baby boy in her arms.

 

* * *

 

 

The baby never ceases its crying, not matter what Itori does in her attempts at soothing him. After a couple of days passing by without him hearing anything from her, Uta decides to pay a visit and see how it’s going. Itori never once showed much of an emotion when she dug the baby out of Maiko’s stomach, and even after that she had appeared detached as she swaddled the infant. When she opens the door, Itori looks like a corpse, but he wisely keeps that comment to himself as he enters the apartment.

 

“When did you last sleep?” He asks instead over the crying. Itori shrugs as she picks up the infant from his spot on the carpeted floor and tries to calm him down. Nothing’s working. The baby just keeps on crying. The sound is terrible to listen to.

 

“Here, let me.” Uta’s never held a baby before, but he figures it can’t be all that hard. Once he holds the boy, the crying, miraculously, stops for a moment as he regards this new person curiously. Now is Itori’s chance and she shuffles towards her bedroom like in a trance. Uta can hear her fall over onto her bed and he sighs, looking at the baby as he tilts his head up at the stranger. Since the baby doesn’t have any teeth, Uta has to get creative with how to feed the little guy. He shreds a little meat into mush that he carefully feeds the boy, and while that isn’t such a bad activity, there are a few things he is not much of a fan off. Like the up close and personal meeting he had with a baby’s burp, or the whole _changing diapers_ which appear as if someone killed something, shredded its innards and then shit on it later. Still, he will admit that when the baby is napping, he is adorable.

 

And quiet.

 

Once the boy is out Uta realizes just how tiring it is to take care of a baby. If the boy has been crying non-stop since Itori took him in, then there’s no wonder she’s exhausted. Said girl shuffles out of her bedroom some time later, around and hour after he managed to put the boy to sleep.

 

“Feeling better?” The blonde asks and she nods. The circles around her eyes are still as dark as ever, but she looks a bit better now than when he had arrived.

 

“He’s only ever quiet when he sleeps.” She mutters as she takes a seat on the couch.

 

“He was pretty quiet while I tended to him.” Itori jerks, brows furrowing for a split second before she looks lost again.

 

“I can’t do this, U-chan. I’m not meant to raise children.”

 

“You’ve only had him for a week. Don’t give up yet.” Uta says. It is weird to see her so, well, lacking her cheeriness.

 

“Easy for you to say. He calmed down the moment you held him!” She snaps and he can see a spark of fire in her again, but both stop short when they hear the baby fuss lightly. Then it’s quiet again, and both release a breath they didn’t even know they were holding.

 

“Maybe you should take him.” And she’s back to how she has been since Maiko died. “You’re better at this than I am.”

 

“I wouldn’t know about that. I think-“ Uta begins but stops. He isn’t quite sure what to say really.

 

“Maiko-chan was an idiot.” Itori says quietly. Even though she says this, Uta hears no malice in her voice. Itori misses her friend, and doesn’t think she was foolish for dying, but foolish in choosing the redhead as the guardian of her new born son. Still, she is finally coming out of her shell, and Uta coax her on.

 

“Maiko-san entrusted her baby to you, because there was no one else she deemed good enough.” Uta tries to console her. It doesn’t seem to help.

 

“Your pretty words doens’t change the fact that she’s dead and I’m sitting her with a baby who _knows_ I’m not his mother and he wants her but he can’t have her because she’s _dea-_ “ Her voice cracks and tears trail down her cheeks as she covers her mouth in an attempt at muffling her cries. Uta isn’t proficient in comforting others, so all he does is sit quietly and wait for Itori to calm down and get it out of her system. He sees emotion in her again, and that is good. He thinks that her being able to sit down, take a breather and process what has happened is what she needed. She needs to be able to grieve, and he thinks she hasn’t allowed herself that with a baby in her home. He also thinks that the baby hasn’t allowed her that much either.

 

But now she has that moment and the usually so cheery girl doubles over and sobs into her arms, letting it all out. She’s barely been able to calm down before the baby starts crying again. Uta is about to stand up and get him, but Itori is much quicker, jumping up to her feet with a huff as she walks over to the crib and picks the baby up. She tries to smile, but it is a watery grimace at best.

 

“There, there, I got you, I got you.” And then he stops crying, and Itori is so shocked she stops rocking him and stares down at him, watery eyes wide. He seems just as curious as he looks up at her for a moment before he presses his face against her chest and gurgles. Uta blinks, staring in surprise as well. Perhaps the child had felt that Itori has been distracted and therefore not felt like he got her full attention, but now that she has managed to process what has happened, maybe the baby senses that he is safe?

 

“Hey, Itori-san. What’s his name?” She’s never mentioned it, but Uta is curious. He can’t call the child “baby” all the time.

 

“Maiko-chan never gave me a name to call him by.” Itori says quietly, staring at the boy.

 

“What do you want to name him then?” She looks at him like he’s grown two heads, because why would she have a name for him? But then she looks down, biting her lip.

 

“Um…” She thinks long and hard before speaking slowly, as if she’s uncertain.

 

“Shinichi?” The boy makes a noise and presses closer. “Shinichi.” She says determinedly and giggles, rocking back on forth from her heels to her toes in a small dance. She is so relieved that he’s not crying anymore, and even if it is just a short reprieve, she’ll take it.

 

“You like that? You like that?” She’s not actually asking the boy, she is reassuring herself that this is real, that she is able to soothe the baby. That there might be some peace for her too. The tears are still falling from her eyes though, but Uta refrains from commenting on it. Instead he tells her this;

 

“I’m quitting as the peacemaker.” She looks up at him now, eyes wide. “Might as well help you out in my spare time.”

 

“Thank you.” She smiles.

 

* * *

  

His mask shop is going rather well. He’s got a lot of customers, all who want to hide their identities from the CCG and he quickly acquires a reputation of being one of the best of his craft. He suspects this is Kado and Sumi’s doing, though he’s not complaining. The income is welcome, especially since Shinichi fills the diapers almost before they are done changing him. Just as Uta takes a seat by his workbench he hears Itori yell.

 

“U-chan! U-chan, come quick!” She yells with such urgency he tips the chair over as he surges to his feet and takes the stairs leading upstairs to his apartment two steps at a time.

 

“What? What’s wrong?” He barges through the door, seeing Itori beam up at him in excitement, clapping her hands.

 

“Shin-chan is crawling! Look!” And the mask-maker turns his gaze to see the baby slowly crawl towards Itori on the carpeted floor. Shinichi’s movements are slow, but the look in the boy’s eyes is determined. Uta slides down to the floor with a sigh, before he scoots over to the redhead.

 

“I thought something was wrong, but all Shinichi-kun’s doing is crawling?” He mutters.

 

“It would be wrong to miss this.” Itori says as she leans forward onto her elbows, stretching out her arms to encourage the baby to make it all the way.

 

“Come here, Shin-chan! Aunty’s got you.” She coos. It’s been easier after Shinichi stopped crying constantly. They had Itori move all her things into Uta’s apartment and she and Shinichi share that one spare room he has. Uta is helpful when his shop is closed and Itori is lucky he is stepping up and helping her.

 

“You coming to aunty? Yes, yes you are.” The redhead continues to coo, and when Shinichi reaches her she lifts him up and rolls onto her back. The baby giggles as he’s held aloft. He loves flying.

 

“You’re happy today, Shin-chan. When you’re happy, I’m happy too~.”

 

 _‘And more well-rested.’_ Uta thinks.

 

“I’ve got a commission to work on.” Uta informs her as he climbs back to his feet.

 

“You’re going to miss Shin-chan’s firsts?” Itori gasps in mock-outrage and Uta rolls his eyes at her dramatics.

 

“I just watched his first crawl. I doubt I’ll miss Shinichi-kun’s first word or steps if I work today.” He tells her and she sits up, holding the baby so they both look at him. He feels oddly outnumbered. By another ghoul and a baby, of all things.

 

“You never know, he grows so quickly. Don’t you? Yes you do~.”

 

“Not _that_ quick.” He waves over his shoulder as he descends the stairs again. Itori pouts after him, but lowers Shinichi to sit in her lap.

 

“Uncle U is such a killjoy, isn’t he?” Shinichi giggles and reaches for her, patting her chest and she guesses that playtime is over for now.

 

“Yes, yes, you’re hungry.” He makes a sound again, and looks at her like he’s happy she understands.

  

* * *

 

 

Itori is usually quick to calm Shinichi down when he awakens at night, so Uta can sleep peacefully because he’s the breadwinner for now. She’s got ambitions herself, but those will have to be put on hold until Shinichi is a bit older, and until Itori feels ready to leave the child in the care of a nanny because as it is now, they’ll have to pry him out of her cold dead hands. She brings Shinichi out to the living room, he likes to be walked instead of just rocked, and she moves carefully around the furniture in the dark before she takes a seat on the couch.

 

“We have to be quiet, Shin-chan. Uncle U needs his beauty sleep, you see. He’s the one paying for all your diapers, you know.” The baby looks up at her, blinking his eyes innocently up at her. He’s got his mother’s grey eyes and dark hair, and Itori wonders how much he’ll resemble Maiko when he’s all grown up. Because she is fully intending to see that day come. She may have lost Maiko, but she’s not going to lose Shinichi to the humans. She doesn’t notice how she curls around him until the door leading to the shop opens and her head snaps up.

 

Uta ambles in, hoodie clutched in his hand, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He blinks owlishly when he sees them on the couch and he glances at the wristwatch strapped loosely around his wrist, before looking back at them.

 

“You’re still up?” They both say at the same time. Uta gestures for her to answer first.

 

“Oh no, Shin-chan woke up and didn’t want to go back to sleep.” She explains and he yawns again as he moves towards them.

 

“Needy little troublemaker.” He says as he sits down beside them. The boy glances his way, but his eyes are already drooping. Itori guesses she can go back to sleep herself soon.

 

“Are you working on a difficult design?” She asks him, and he shakes his head.

 

“No, just a lot of commissions.” He answers and yawns again. “They were in a hurry too. I’ll probably wind up doing a few all-nighters.”

 

“Don’t work yourself too hard, U-chan.” Itori tells her friends as she rocks the baby boy in her arms.

 

“I’ll be fine.” The mask maker brushes her concerns away, before he compliments her. “You’ve become really good with him.” He adds and reaches out to carefully brush a hand over Shinichi’s head. The baby makes a noise of content before his eyes close completely.

 

“Thank you. You’ve become good with him too.” He hums, hand falling into his lap. He has openly admitted that the baby has grown on him. His babble is adorable to listen to, and the older ghoul have been trying to teach him a few words when he’s been watching over him so Itori could get a tiny break and time for herself. He wants to see Itori’s expression when or if Shinichi says those words.

 

He gets his wish a few days later, when he’s sipping on a glorious cup of morning coffee and Itori is feeding the boy.

 

“Yes? What is it, Shin-chan?” Itori asks as she stops spoon-feeding him the mashed meat as he is nearly jumping in his seat in excitement, babbling nonsensically.

 

“Ma!” Uta pauses and pulls back from his cup, watching the exchange.

 

“Hmm? Tell aunty, Shin-chan.”

 

“Mama! Mama!” Shinichi exclaims and reaches for her. The redhead drops the spoon in shock and gapes while Uta bursts out laughing and pats the boys head.

 

“That’s a good boy!” Shinichi claps his hands happily, delighted by Uta’s praise. Itori is still trying to process what just happened, and how he can have learned that word. She hasn’t been teaching him that word, because she isn’t his mother. But then again, Uta’s rather smug expression, the mischievous glimmer in his eyes, explains everything, now doesn’t it? She’s far from happy with him about this.

 

“U-chan! What have you done?” She exclaims and his grin spreads wider.

 

“Don’t teach him words like that.” She frowns and mutters a bit more quietly. “I’m not his mom. He shouldn’t call me that.”

 

“You’re raising him, aren’t you?” He points out and her frown eases up a bit, but the crease between her brows is still present.

 

“You’re raising him too. If that’s your argument, that makes you his dad.” Uta shrugs carelessly, moving his cup to his lips again.

 

“I’m helping you out, because you asked for it.“

 

 _“Dada!”_ Uta spits the coffee straight back out and Itori cackles at the sight of him falling into a coughing fit.

 

“That’s _my_ boy!” He had not expected for Shinichi to call him dad, but it’s nice to see Itori laugh so freely. Even though they’ve got a rhythm and have lived with him for near on eight months, Itori is still tense, she hasn’t adapted to the situation completely yet, she’ still worried that something will go wrong. She may not say it, but he can see it. Still, he admires how she does all that she can to make the best of the situation.

 

Uta really admires that.

 

Itori is strong. He likes that too. Perhaps a bit too much.

 

He should find a way to unwind once he’s done with his current commissions, so all these useless thoughts will scatter. He stands up and takes the cup with him. He’ll finish it while he works.

 

“U-chan?”

 

“Work.” He says before descending the stairs.

 

“Neh, Shin-chan.” Itori says after the sound of the mask maker’s steps fade. “I think I saw him blush.” A sly grin stretches across her face as a plan comes to mind.

 

“How about you call him dada more often, hm?” The boy giggles and claps his hands together again.

 

Apparently they have a deal. He doesn’t call her “mama” any more that day, until she’s about to put him to sleep that night. She’s changed into her own sleeping attire and has taken a seat on her bed, rocking him back and forth and hums. He likes it when she sings. His eyes are barely open, but he mumbles the word and Itori’s sharp ears catch it loud and clear. She lies down, and smiles ruefully at the baby beside her, curled up in her arms.

 

“You can’t call me that, Shin-chan.” She whispers. “I’m not your mommy.” The baby is asleep now though, and she wonders if he even understands if she tells him.

 

“Your mommy’s name is Maiko-chan.” She tells him. It dawns on her how tired she is. Yes, she is no longer fumbling around in the dark when it comes to raising the baby, but it is not _her_ baby, it is Maiko’s. Maiko who had been so happy when she found out she was pregnant despite the father being an idiot long since cast out of the ward by Uta. Maiko, despite Itori’s teasing and slight disapproval, had soldiered on and planned how to survive with the baby. Maiko who, despite being just a teenager and a ghoul to boot with no security, had envisioned a future where she would raise this little miracle. Maiko who, despite choking on her own blood and dying, had cracked her own ribs open, torn her own flesh and begged Itori to dig the infant out of her when she realized she wouldn’t survive the wounds she suffered by an attack of the doves. Maiko who in her last moments barely managed to hear Shinichi cry-

 

Itori takes a deep breath, and she stifles her sobs, but she can’t stop the tears.

 

Maiko is the one who should lay here on a bed with Shinichi, not Itori. She’s unable to escape these thoughts, and they sadden her immensely. She loves Shinichi, but he doesn’t need her, he needs his mother, his _real_ mother. Itori doesn’t believe she can ever be that, because she’s sure she could never do what Maiko did. She drifts off not long after, and Uta cautiously opens the door, frowning. He walks over and pulls the covers over the two of them.

 

 _‘It makes no sense to me, Itori-san.’_ He thinks. ‘ _You’re raising him, and Maiko-san is long dead. He has no one else to look at than you. You may think that Maiko-san is his mother, but he’ll never remember her. You’re all he knows. Maiko-san isn’t the one who is irreplaceable to him, it’s you.’_ Itori is trying to distance herself, and if she does that, Shinichi will react in a bad way, Uta can understand that much. He will have to take measures so that doesn’t happen. Motherhood suits her, he thinks, despite the fact she isn’t even nineteen yet. A foreign feeling spreads through him, but he can’t quite pinpoint what it is. He pulls out his phone as he closes the door behind him.

 

Maybe Renji can help him.

 

* * *

  

Uta didn’t mean to kill her. Well, she had been tonight’s intended meal, but he had planned on enjoying her in other ways first. She is, no, was pretty, and had been pleasant to talk to. It really is too bad that he went out to find both company and a meal. But as he had been leading her through the back-alleys to his shop, he came to realize that it isn’t entirely appropriate to bring home a woman when he has a baby sleeping one door down the hall from his own bedroom. And when he had stopped her from going any further, and had taken a long look at her, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from thinking that Itori is way more beautiful than this human. Thoughts like these have been popping up a lot lately, and it bothers him. Renji’s advice had been absolutely terrible too, and had done nothing more than unnerve and annoy the mask maker. What he finds the most annoying though, is that just by having the redhead and the baby live in his apartment for these eight months have stirred such emotions in him. It is so annoying he wants to crush something.

 

Moments later he realizes he’s cracked the human’s skull open on the brick wall.

 

“Oh…” He didn’t mean to kill her yet. But now he has, and he also have to carry her corpse back to his apartment. He’s already killed her, he’s not going to waste the meat. So he hauls the body up and throws it over his shoulder before he scales the wall and climbs up on the roof. The moment he gave up his leadership the ward had swarmed with investigators who are refusing to relinquish their hold, so he can’t exactly walk around on the streets with the body slung over his shoulder. Which is exactly why he had installed a hatch over his kitchen area. It’s dark when he swings down and deposits the corpse over plastic he has stored in his drawers. He undresses the body and quickly begins parting it into several smaller pieces. He’s in the middle of putting the body parts in containers when he hears a door open, the pitter patter of bare feet and then Itori is coming into the living room. He doesn’t look her way when she heads over to him. He’d preferred it if she’d stayed inside her- He pauses his movements for a fraction of a second, nostrils flaring, before he continues. Tonight really is not his night, is it?

 

“Oh, pretty.” Itori says as she gets a look at the dress Uta had discarded.

 

“Did she _taste_ good?” There is no way to miss the suggestion in the redhead’s voice, but Uta has no answer. He doesn’t have to either, though. The girl leans forward and sniffs. He has to consciously keep himself from leaning away because he is not interested in letting her know he is a bit aroused, especially not when she is too.

 

He really should have just fucked the girl in a bathroom.

 

“Eh?” The surprise is clear in her voice and she looks at him, baffled. “You didn’t sleep with her?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I was going to, but she broke so easily.” He says. It’s not the entire truth, but it isn’t a lie either.

 

“Hm, humans are so fragile.” Itori agrees as Uta gets up to put the containers in the fridge. He doesn’t get far before she puts a hand on his arm, looking up at him. She doesn’t say anything, but he understands all the same, and nods. It benefits the both of them, and it might help him sort through his own confusing feelings. Itori disappears as he fills the shelves in the fridge and the moment he passes through his own bedroom door she is upon him, mashing her lips against his, pushing him towards the bed.

 

“Shinichi-kun is still asleep, right?” He asks. She hums as she shoves him onto the bed and straddles him. A thought strikes him.

 

“What if he wakes up?” Itori holds up a device with an impish grin.

 

“When did you get that?”

 

“Yesterday. Stop talking.” She deposits the baby caller on his night table and pulls off her nightgown.

 

* * *

 

 Shinichi’s birthday is two weeks away. He’s almost a whole year already. Itori feels like time has flown by in the blink of an eye. She sighs, shifting a bit to lay more comfortably against Uta. She should probably invite a few people over, those who of her friends who are still alive anyway, make a tiny birthday party the boy won’t remember, but will enjoy immensely here and now. Yes, she’ll invite a few people over to celebrate. She just has to plan the whole thing, have some snacks ready, fresh fingers and eyes, proper party decorations with the number 1 on them, give people a list of what is okay to bring because not one of her friends knows how to deal with a child, nor what toys a baby can have that they can’t choke on. There is actually a whole lot to think about-

 

“What are you thinking about so early in the morning?” Uta murmurs, voice groggy.

 

“Shin-chan is almost a year old already.” She answers, tilting her head upwards to see him rub the sleep from his eyes. His chest rises before he releases a heavy sigh.

 

“Already?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Damn.” He mutters, raising his head to wedge his hand underneath. He’s far too comfortable to move from his spot anytime soon, and Itori is not making any effort at getting up either.

 

“Time flies.”

 

“Yeah. I was thinking about inviting some friends over, celebrate his first birthday. Is that okay with you?”

 

“Yeah, sure. Sounds nice.” He muses. “We haven’t celebrated birthdays before, have we? Children’s birthdays, I mean.” Itori realizes he is right. They never celebrated as kids, since they were living on the streets, but they started celebrating, in a way, when Uta became the peacemaker. They just… weren’t celebrating in the traditional sense. They went out and picked fights that got their blood pumping and then drank themselves into a stupor they always regretted the next morning. Neither are very appropriate when they have to watch over a baby.

 

Itori misses those days, and now she feels old even though she is far from it. She’s taken responsibility for another’s life and is treating the matter seriously even. She never imagined she could ever manage to do that.

 

“You’re doing it again.” Uta squeezes her shoulder and she sigh, stretching before draping herself over him.

 

“I’ve just-“ She’s interrupted by babbling over the monitor. Shinichi has become used to Itori not being in the room when he wakes up anymore, and has gone from crying to just repeating _“Mama”_ again and again until she goes to pick him up.

 

“Time’s up.” She pulls herself up from the bed and grabs one of his tank-tops, laughing at his low whistle. Having this kind of casual friends-with-benefits relationship with Uta’s been fun. It had been rather stressful and annoying to not find a proper outlet, but she knew even back when she pulled him to bed that it would end up biting her in the ass. She liked the former peacemaker romantically long before the whole baby-thin happened. Living with him and eventually sleeping with him didn’t help stifle those feelings.

 

“Mama!” Shinichi bounces in excitement as she enters their shared bedroom. She throws him a bright smile and picks him up, hugging him as she turns around.

 

“Good morning, Shin-chan!” He giggles, but pats at her chest. “Hungry, hmm? You know, in just a few years you’ll have to stop doing that.” He just looks at her with a curious tilt of his head. He’s taking so much after Uta. Shinichi is clearly seeing them as his parents, even though they aren’t related at all. She wonders if Uta realizes and is bothered. She is no longer bothered about it, thankfully, and she knows that the mask maker enjoys playing with the boy and even smiles sometimes when Shinichi calls him “ _Dada”_ , so she doesn’t know for sure. Itori has accepted that she is his mother now. A small chat with Uta had made her remember that she had promised Maiko she would take good care of her son. Without Maiko, Shinichi had no one else to look at as a mother.

 

She sits him down in his chair and pulls out a container from the fridge, heating the meat after making stew of it. The boy gleefully grabs the spoon and proceeds to make the biggest mess as he eats.

 

“We’re going out today, Shin-chan! What do you think about that?” The boy bounces in his seat, his face smeared with the stew Itori had made him.

 

“Where to?” Uta asks as he emerges from the bedroom, tying up his hair.

 

“Oh, just to buy the decorations and other necessities.” She tells him and he hums

 

“If we go now, I can go with you. I still got some time before I open the shop.” He tells her as he lulls the coffeemaker to life.

 

“You want to?”

 

“Sure. It’s not often that we all go out together.” He’s right. Uta has taken Shinichi out on walks in his stroller before, and he has done runs in the grocery store when Itori asked it of him, but few times have they gone out all three together.

 

“Hm, we’ll have to be quick though, so we can get back before you have to open shop.” Itori says as Uta takes a seat by the table.

 

“That would be ideal. So how about you go and get ready, and I’ll help Shinichi-kun finish his breakfast?”

 

“Are you insinuating that I take a long time in getting ready?”

 

“Are you implying I am wrong?” She narrows her eyes at him before getting up on her feet with a huff. “I think I just insulted Mama.” The baby throws his spoon, splattering blood and meatmash all over Uta’s bare chest.

 

“And apparently you didn’t like that.” He grabs a tissue and wipes the mess off as the baby giggles. Itori mostly lets Shinichi feed himself now, despite the mess he always makes, but considering they have errands to run, Uta decides he’ll have to help the boy. By the time Itori’s out of the bathroom, Shinichi has finished his food and his face and hands have been cleaned.

 

“Okay, big boy, your turn.” She pulls the boy out of his seat, carefully making sure none of the mess on his clothes transfers over to her. She changes him and cleans him properly before they wait for Uta. The male ghoul steers the stroller towards the station as Itori goes through her list again.

 

“We might have to split up.” Itori says as they jump onto the subway. “There’s a lot to buy.”

 

“Do I need to take on a part-time job for this?” He jokes and she nudges him.

 

“I don’t use _that_ much of your money.” She huffs, but smiles nonetheless. “It’s just that it’s going to be time-consuming, so in order to get back in time for you to open shop we’ll have to split up.”

 

“Fine. What do you want me to do?”

 

“You can go get the normal stuff, diapers and wipes, and then come find me later? Or I come find you, whoever is done first, I guess?”

 

“I can do that.” When they arrive at the mall, Uta takes Shinichi with him while Itori goes to get the décor. He notices, when he enters the shop with the stroller, the curious glances thrown his way, and he certainly hears the whispers.

 

“Is that his child?”

 

“No way, someone like him?” Well, they aren’t entirely wrong, but he finds their shallow view on his appearance amusing, and very cliché. If he had been someone whose self-esteem is so easily shaken, he’d never have adopted this kind of style in the first place. And younger women in the store are throwing him more appreciative looks, so his ego isn’t hurting all that much. Some even come up and compliment him on the baby in the stroller.

 

None of them are as attractive as Itori though.

 

Uta’s hand twitch, pausing in his quest for the items on the shelf. It’s been some time since that thought popped up, but it’s as annoying now as it was the first time. Shinichi giggles, eyes narrowing impishly as he grins up at Uta, who smiles back.

 

“What are you, a mind-reader?” Uta mumbles as he pulls out a package of diapers and wipes from the shelves.

 

“Powder, powder, where are you?” He hums as he scans the shelves before finally finding it. “There you are.” Shinichi reaches out and makes a noise.

 

“You want to hold this, Shinichi-kun?” The boy nods and wiggles his fingers eagerly. “Then you must promise not to make a big fuss when we get to the cash register, okay?” The baby makes grabby-motions so Uta gives him the item.

 

“Don’t make me regret this.” He walks around, finding the last few items on the list before heading over to the cash register. The young girl standing there is a bit flustered and seem a bit uncertain too, but she gets the job done, until she waits for Uta to give her the last item.

 

“Sir?” She asks uncertainly.

 

“Just muttering a tiny prayer.” Uta says as he holds his hand out for the powder Shinichi is clutching in his tiny hands. The boy regards him for a moment in his royal stroller before pushing the item away from himself.

 

“Thank you, that’s a good boy.” The boy giggles at the praise and at how Uta ruffles his dark hair.

 

“He’s very well behaved.” The girl says with a small smile.

 

“Very, when he’s trying to charm the ladies.” Uta answers as he pulls out his wallet. His words fluster the girl even more and the ghoul blinks, impressed by the way her cheeks colour so darkly. Is that even healthy, he wonders.

 

“Are you okay, miss?” He doesn’t really care, but humans ask these kinds of questions in these kinds of situations, don’t they?

 

“Y-yeah! Thank you for your purchase!” She squeaks and Uta gathers his items in a bag and moves on. He still gets stares outside of the store, but that might also be because he, a very tattooed and pierced person with an undercut clad only in black, is pushing probably the most baby blue stroller that has ever existed through a mall. His phone starts ringing just as he’s wondering which store Itori might be at, and her name flashes across the screen.

 

“U-chan! I got done early. Where are you?”

 

“Right by a café on the first floor, by the exit.”

 

“Can’t you find a table and order me a coffee? I’ll be right there.”

 

“Okay.” He does as asked of him, and when Itori barges in, he raises a brow at the amount of bags she’s carrying. He wonders how she managed to buy so much in such a short amount of time. He and Shinichi had not spent that much time in the grocery store.

 

“Thank you.” She sits down in the chair and grabs the cup. Shinichi becomes restless, so Uta helps him out of his stroller and deposits him in Itori’s lap. He loves that.

 

“Hey there, Shin-chan. Did you two have fun shopping too?” The boy moves to stand so he can hug her and she laughs.

 

“Oh yes.” Uta answers over the rim of his own cup, lowering his coffee. “He had fun trying to charm the shop-worker. Poor girl blushed so badly.”

 

“Oh my, already? You’re a bit too young for that, don’t you think?” Shinichi just looks up at her, grinning.

 

“And now he’s trying to charm you.”

 

“Why, are you jealous, U-chan?” Itori smirks at him as he pulls his cup up to his mouth again.

 

“I am.” The shocked expression on her face is funny and delighting in her shock keeps him from just staring dumbly at her, surprised himself of the words that had escaped him. He had not meant to say that out loud.

 

“You hear that, Shin-chan? Dada gets jealous too.” Itori tries to cover up her surprise, as she looks down at the boy in her lap. The boy just holds on tighter and sends Uta a look the mask maker can only describe as smug. The boy is a whole lot smarter than Uta has given him credit for.

 

“Terribly so.” Uta adds, just for the heck of it, smirking at Itori’s flustered expression.

 

“Now you’re just making fun of me.” She pouts and he chuckles.

 

“I’m sorry.” They return home, and Itori heads upstairs with Shinichi, while Uta stays behind in his shop. He wonders what he should get Shinichi for his birthday. He’s just one year old, but he likes plushies, and his masks. Maybe he can craft something, like a toy horse carved from wood or a homemade plushie. Oh well, he thinks, he’ll come up with something.

 

When the celebration is upon them, Sumi, Kado, and Yomo, along with his new associates Irimi, Koma and his niece and nephew Touka and Ayato come over. Shinichi enjoys the attention, not at all shy about all these new people, he loves climbing all over Toukan ad Ayato, who’re not sure how to handle a baby. Ayato seems the most flustered out of the two though. It is still a fun little celebration, until Shinichi needs his nap as it grows a bit late.

 

“Thanks for the gifts, guys!” Itori says as she leads them to the door, waving goodbye. Shinichi is in Uta’s arms, eyes drooping as his tiny fists clutch the ghoul’s shirt.

 

“Thank you for inviting us.” Touka bows, one hand on her brother’s head to make him do the same. Young, but clumsily respectful. Adorable. Itori closes the door behind them and sighs happily, before rounding on Uta.

 

“U-chan, why didn’t you have a present for Shin-chan?” She asks him, hands on her hips and a stern glare on her face.

 

“I do have something.” Uta says, taking her by one of her hands and leading her into Shinichi’s room. He left it in there after Itori had fetched the boy this morning, so he could surprise her. And she is surprised. He’s made a tiny blanket, just big enough to wrap the boy in it. It’s white, with tiny little green frogs on it. Uta lays the boy down once he’s fallen asleep and pulls the blanket over him. Shinichi grabs the edges in his sleep, tugs a bit, and lies quietly.

 

“You made this?” She asks quietly.

 

“Mhm.”

 

“That’s really cute, U-chan.” She smiles up at him. She finds the gift to be really heartfelt, and it is really nice to see that mask maker put a lot of heart into it. The frogs are cute and she imagines Shinichi will grow very attached to it.

 

“Maybe he will take after you and take up art when he gets older. Maybe he could be your student?”

 

“Maybe.” Uta hums as he retreats out of the room so they won’t disturb the boy. The thought isn’t bad, he’d like that. He’d like to inspire others.

 

“Naah, U-chan, are you thirsty?”

 

“Why? What have you got in mind?”

 

“I’ve been playing around with blood wine, let’s try it out, yeah?” She’s stored several bottles in the cabinets and she thinks they’ll be good now. She points towards his bedroom, giving him a look that tells him to get in there and wait. She returns with several bottles and two glasses, smiling widely. They don’t get drunk, but they can feel a pleasant buzz. Itori’s cheeks are dusted pink, and he likes that look on her. They spill the blood on both themselves and the bed as they wrestle with their clothes, laughing quietly in-between kisses. They don’t go any further than that though, they just lie together and share kisses and wine, laughing while sharing thoughts about everything that has happened over the last year. This friendship of theirs, the easy relationship he has with Itori, how they can just lie there on his bed and enjoy life, this-

 

“This is why I love you.” The laughter fades and she stare up at him, confused. Uta himself wonders why he had blurted that out. She furrows her brows, opens her mouth, but a shrill cry is heard over the baby monitor and she pushes him off of her, grabs her robe and leaves the room. He sits up, wonders what will happen now… Either way, he decides to clean up the mess they’ve made, just to keep himself occupied. When Itori returns much later, having comforted and rocked Shinichi back to sleep, the sheets on the bed have been changed and Uta’s pulled on some clothes. He’s not looking her way though.

 

“Why’d you say that, U-chan?”

 

“Say what?” It’s a pitiful attempt at deflecting and they both know it.

 

“Uta.” He actually flinch at the use of his name, and reluctantly turns to face her fully. The redhead has never seen him look so uncomfortable, but it is obvious with how he is looking everywhere but her. She had never expected him to ever express any feelings towards her other than friendship. That is why she had kept her feelings to herself, grit her teeth through the experience of living with him and raising Shinichi along with him. The baby boy had also been her priority the last twelve months, she hasn’t had the time to worry about romantic affairs.

 

But… She wants Uta too, and they live together already. She doesn’t have to go out of her way to meet with him and she knows Shinichi won’t be an issue to the mask maker. But then again, what if it is just something he said in the heat of the moment, high on blood wine?

 

“I said it because I meant it.” He finally says as he sits up straighter, finally looking her in the eye. “Random thoughts about you have popped up for some time now.” He shrugs, trying to be a bit easy about it, but it is hard to explain really.

 

“What thoughts? Should I be worried?” She tries to lighten the mood with a teasing tone, and it works a little. It even prompts him to chuckle.

 

“No, nothing you need to worry about.”

 

“What thoughts then?” She asks again as she takes a seat beside him.

 

“Annoying little things, really.”

 

“Let me hear them.” She rolls her eyes and shoves him playfully.

 

“Hm, it struck me sometimes how pretty you are, compared to other women.” She looks rather smug about that so he continues. “And how strong you’ve become ever since you took on the task of raising Shinichi-kun.”  She bites her lip, looking down in her lap.

 

“Yeah, taking care of Shin-chan has been hard.” She admits. The first week had been horrible, but when Shinichi had stopped crying, and she had figured out a routine, things had become a little easier. Uta has been wonderful during the whole ordeal.

 

“Thank you so much for your help.” She says, laying her head on his shoulder.

 

“You’re welcome.” He tells her. It hasn’t been horrible. To him it has actually been rather fun, despite sometimes not being able to sleep through the night had left him rather exhausted at his workbench. And then Itori asks the real question.

 

“Do you really love me though?” And it is a good question, because Uta has never really been in love before. How can he be certain?

 

“Yes.” He answers truthfully. There is not a doubt in his mind. “It’s been like this for quite some time now.”

 

“Really?”

 

“I thought it was just a passing fancy, but it didn’t go away.”

 

“Did you ever attempt at making these feelings disappear?” She’s honestly curious because she can’t recall him treating her any differently since she and Shinichi moved into his apartment.

 

“No, I didn’t. Can’t say the thought crossed my mind after I saw how far you could bend your-“

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty flexible.” She cuts him off and he smirks. Now it feels normal again, the awkwardness mostly gone. She groans and throws her hands in the air.

 

“I’ve been attracted to you for years, but you only notice me when I barge in with an orphaned baby?” He laughs at her statement, running a hand through his hair.

 

“We’re a bit of a mess.” He admits.

 

“Yeah.” She agrees.

 

“Would you…” Itori breaks the silence again, “Would you like to try dating?” She sounds both curious and confused.

 

“Aren’t we way past that point?” He questions and she flushes a deep red.

 

“Jerk!” She punches his arm.

 

“Domestic violence!” He cries out and rolls off the bed dramatically and she follows, wresting with him.

 

“Kinda have to have a relationship for that to count!” She exclaims as she tries to pin him to the ground. He grabs both her wrists to halt her actions and shows her a dazzling, boyish grin.

 

“Be mine then?”

 

“Asked that sweetly, how can I refuse?” She retorts.

 

“Great!”


End file.
